Hover eor poultry



. L. BALL.

HOVER FOR POULTRY. APPLlcmor.' HLED JULY al. Isls.

Patented May 23,1922,

IIIIII" LILILIII yawn@ UNITED sTAifgs PATENT OFFICE.

ARLINGTON L. BALL, OF DUNKIRK, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD ro HARRY C. HEQUEMBOURG AND ONE-THIRD TO GERTRUDE P. HEQUEMBOURG, BOTH OF DUNKIRK, NEW YORK.

HOVER FOR POULTRY.

`Application filed July 31, 1918.

To allwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARLINGTON L. BALL, a citizen of the `United States, residing at Dunkirk7 in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hovers for Poultry. of which they following is especifi- Caitflont i i My invention relates to improvements in poultry hovers, and more particularly tothat type known as colony7 hovers.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a poultry .hover in which heated air is caused to circulate therein, in contra-` distinction to the usual method of heating the interior of the hover by radiation.

Another object of my invention is .the provision of a hover of the colony type so constructed that an oil burneror heater may be employed `and so that the burner or heater is supplied with fresh warm air to assure a steady blue dame.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the hover that while introducing fresh air to the chicks and the burner or heater, such air is caused to commingle with the heated air. freed from obnoxious fumes or gases; the hover being arranged to provide a runway for the chicks around a central burner or heater casing.

Still further objects are, to provide a hover of simple construction in which air inlet-pipes leading from the exterior are dispensed with; to so construct the hover to enable the burner to be readily removed from the hover; to provide the hover with a gravity fuel supply so arranged that the hover canopy may be removed without detaching said fuel supply.

A still further object is, to provide a hover which is economical in operation and easily manipulated, and in which the interior can be made readily accessible.

T he invention consists in a hover having a suitable burner or heater arranged centrally therein and being constructed so that the heating of theA chick space therein is caused mainly by the circulation of heated air through the hover.

It also consists in the novel features of construction whereby the canopy curtain is attached to the canopy; in the novel features of construction employed in the remaining parts of the hover; and in the combination Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1922.

serial No. 247,526.

and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth and claims.

In the drawings Fig. l is a central vertical section through my 'improved ho-ver.

F 1g. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the same.

F 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing the top or upper central portion of the hover casing and the lower portion of the draft or fume pipe.

Fig-f1 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line 4 4, Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken radially on line 6-6, Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top or plan view of the marginal portion of the canopy.

Fig. is a similar view `showing the curtain removed therefrom and the formation of the curtain securing prongs before bending the same into hoo-k form.

Reference being now had to the drawings in detail, the numeral 8 designates the central burner or heater casing which is arranged vertically and is preferably of cylindrical formation in cross section. This burner or heater casing comprises the cylindrical side wall 9, the bottom l() and the top 11. The side wall and bottom may be constrncted of sheet metal, while I preferably construct the top of cast iron in two pieces, one piece being` the fixed part l2 of the top. which has a depending flange 13 adapted to be entered into the upper end of the cylindrical side wall 9 and the other being an open lid or annnlus 14 supported by the fixed part l2 and readily removable therefrom. The side wall 9 is provided with one or more air openings l5 over which screening 16 is placed. This burner or heater casing 8 serves as the main support for the remaining parts of the hover.

Passed diametrically through the burner or heater casing 8 is a burner supportingrod 17 which receives support from the side walls at diametrically opposite points and is adapted to support the gas. burner 18, said burner being provided with lugs 19 through whichV said rod is passed. rlhe outer fixed part l2 of the top of said burner or heater casing has its central opening of a size to permit the introduction of the burner therethrough or the removal of the burner from pointed out in the subjoined the burner or heater casing when removing the annulus or open lid 14, so called by reason of said lid having a central opening 2() which, however, is of smaller diameter than the burner, for a purpose to appear hereinafter.

`21 designates the top or fiat central portion of the hover casing which is supported from the topof the burner or heater casing by means of spacing sleeves 22 interposed between the two and through which bolts 23 are passed, said bolts being inserted from theunder side of the topiof said burner or heater casing and extending through the top or central portion of the hover casing, each bolt having a nut 24 applied to its projecting end so as to securelyfasten said top or central portion of the hover casing to the burner or heater casing. The central portion of the hover'casing comprises twoparts or annuli 25., 26, the outer part being` the part thereof supported by the burner or heater casing, and the inner part beingl supported by said outer vpart and removable therefrom. Said inner part 26 has a central opening 27, for a purpose to appear' hereinafter.

Thev opening in the outer part 25 of the top or central portion of the hover casing is substantially the same size as the opening in the fixed part 12 of the top of the burner or heater casing so that when the open lid or annulus 14 of said last-mentioned top is removed `and the inner part 26, which may also be termed an open lid, is removed from the outer part 21 of the top or central portion of the hovercasing, the burner 18 may be removed from the hover.

28 designates the canopy which preferably comprises a cast iron ring or annulus 29 adapted to lie against and receive support from the marginal `portion of the toi or central portion ofthe hover casing. his annulus has a downwardly inclined fiange 30 around its outer edge to which `the sheet metal body portion 31 of the canopy is secured. For convenience in shipping, I construct this canopy in four sections 32, 33, 34, 35, joinedv together by slip joints 36, or in any other suitable manner, so as to form spreading radually lowering side walls over the chick space 37.

At regular-intervals around the marginal portion of the canopy, the sheet metal material is provided-with a pair of cut-away portions 38, which are of V-shape and join each other at the edge of the canopy, the two inwardly-diverging sides of 'these cut-away portions being continued in the form of incisions 39`to points beyond the apices of these cut-away portions, thus providing V- shaped prongs 40, each having the cut-away portions at opposite sides of the outer end thereof. These prongs are adapted to be bent upwardly and inwardly into hook form,` and onto these prongs the iexible curtain 4l of cotton duck, or similar material, is adapted to be attached,A the. curtain being. provided with lsuitable openingsl for the purpose, or being-forcibly passed over the hook-shape prongs which i` may be clenched downwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, to assure a secure fastening of the curtain and to prevent the clothing of the attendant catching .into the points thereof.

The oil burneri has a fuel supply pipe 42 connected thereto, which leads upwardly and outwardly through the top of the hover casingto a fuel supply device 43, which may be of any suitable construction, a valve 44 being provided in the supply pipe 42 to re ulate the feed of the fuel to the burner. y arranging` the fuel supply deviceat an elevated point, the fuel is fed to the burner by gravity.

45 designates a draft or fume pipe which has its lower end entered into a drum 46 rovided with a supporting flange 47. he drum l45 is inserted through the opening in the top or fiat central portion of the hover casing, or more particularly through the openin in the open lid 26y thereof, and eX- tends into the burner or heater casing through the opening in the open lid 14 ofthe latter. Said flange 47 rests upon the top or flat central portion of the hover casing and supports Said drum and the draft or fume pipe secured thereto and at the same time closes the opening in the top' of the hover casing.

Between the lower inserted end of the draft or fume pipe 45 and the side or surrounding wall of the drum 46, an intervening space 48` is provided, anda space 49 is also provided between the bottom of said drum and the lower edge of said draft or fume pipe. The side or cylindrical wall of t-he drum 46 is provided near its upper end with openings 50', and as shown in the drawl ingu.)l the drum is closed at all points except where these openings 50 are arranged. A retarder 51 of dish-like formation is positioned within the draft or fume pipe a short distance from its lower end, it being separated by the wall of said pipe by an intervening space52 and being secured to the lower end of a rod 53 arranged in said pipe and secured at its upper end to the upper end of said pipe byl aV bolt 54, or otherwise.

Surrounding the upper end of said draft or fume pipe 45 is a handle 55, which is formed of a strip ofmetal curved tovconform to the curvature of the draft or fume pipe and arranged to almost encircle the same, it being providedV with outstanding ends 56 by means of which it may be grasped to remove the draft or fume pipe and the drum 46 carrying the same. For convenience, the handle 55 is secured to the draft or fume pipe by means ofthe bolt 54, which serves also to fasten the retarder 51 in proper position within said pipe.

By the use of the open lids in the top of the burner or heater casing and in the top V of the hover casing, the drum 46 can be reduced in size and the proper size opening provided around the same, while providing for the removal of the burner from the hover without removing the hover casing. This arrangement also provides for the proper quantity of heat to be delivered to the top of the heater casing and furnishes escape through the draft or fume pipe for the lighter products of combustion, such as the fumes and gases, without furnishing too free an escape, which would permit unnecessary quant-ities of air free from gases and fumes to escape, resulting in increased consumption o-f fuel.

In the flat central portion of the hover casing, a vent opening 57 is formed which is adapted to be closed by a damper valve 58 connected to a lever 59 pivotally secured between its ends, as at 60, to a bracket 61 fastened to the canopy 28. The lever 59 is connected to or operatively arranged with respect to a thermostatic device 62 located within the hover casing. When the temperature in the hover casing reaches a predetermined point, the thermostatic device causes actuation of the lever 59, which in turn lifts the damper valve 58 so as to open `the vent opening 57, thus allowing some of the heat to escape through said vent opening until the temperature in the hover casing lowers to a predetermined point, whereupon the damper valve closes automatically through the action of said thermostatic device.

63 is a thermometer support formed of a strip ofv metal fastened to the canopy 28, at or near its marginal portion, as at 64, this strip of metal being bent downwardly from the canopy, as at 65, and thence inwardly, as at 66,.into the chick space 37 within the hover casing, the curtain 4 1 being provided with an opening 67 for the purpose.l The downwardly bent portion of said thermometer support is also provided with an openingV 68 which registers with the openings 67 in said curtain and in said opening a thermometer 69 is placed, the outer end of the thermometer projecting outwardly from said support and having temperature indieating grnduations thereon, while the inner end thereof projects into the hover casing and is supported on the inwardly-directed portion 66 of said sup-port. This arrangement permits of readily reading the temperature within the hover casing without removing or displacing any parts of the apparatus and at the same time positioning the effective portion of the thermometer in close chicks, sufficient room only being allowed between the inner end of the thermometer support 63 and the floor to permit the chicks to pass underneath.

lt is to be noted that a space is provided between the lower edge of the curtain 4l and the floor so as to admit fresh air to the hover, the space, however, being of a height to prevent the chicks passing out underneath the same.

Wvhen it is desired to remove the canopy t from the supporting portion of the device it is simply necessary to lift the saine upwardly and slightly laterally so as to bring the opening therein in a position to permit of passing the canopy over both the draft or fume pipe and the fuel container of the fuel supply device. It is to be noted that thel burner or heater casing and the central portion of the hover casing spaced from the top of the burner or heater casing constitute the supporting member of the hover on which the canopy with its attached curtain is adapted to rest. While the central portion of the hover casing is supported by the burner or heater casing it acts in conjunction with the canopy to retain the heat and deect the heat downwardly toward the bottom of the canopy casing.

In order to ignite the fuel, the drum 46 and the draft or fume pipe 45 are removed from the hover casing by lifting the same out of the central opening in said casing. small quantity of liquid fuel may then be placed within the burner and a lighted match applied thereto to ignite the same. The valve 43 in the fuel supply pipe may then be opened to permit the feeding of the fuel to the burner from the fuel supply device, which fuel becomes. heated and converted into gas, and when escaping from the burner becomes ignited by the burning fuel previously provided. This, however, forms no part of my invention, and the fuel may be supplied and treated in any other way, it simply being a convenient arrangement to ignite the fuel through the top of the hover casing which my particular novel construction permits.

The air within the hover casing is heated by contact with the outer surface of the heater casing and this heated air rises and is deflected downwardly by the top or fiat central portion of the hover casing and spreads laterally in contact with the inclined wall of the canopy which acts to force the same downwardly to the floor where it meets the inrushing fresh air enteringl underneath the curtain ll and furnishes the chicks within the hover casing with fresh heated air.

The fumes and gases risingr from the burner travel upwardly through the opening 20 in the lid of the heater casing and escape through the openings 50 in the drum 46. These fumes and gases are caused to travel downwardly within the drum 46 by reason vfeo oi the lower end ol:7 the draft or l'unie pipe ei;- tend ing into the drum and thence pass around the lower end oit said draft or L'iune pip out through said pipe, the tuines and passing` upwardly throughthe dra'tt ci' pipe. The heated gases pas through the dratt or tuine pipe encounter the retarder 5l, which is arranged in a plane a short distance above the top et 'the hover casing and thus the free escape oi? the heat avoided. Sutlicient space, however, 'is provided around the retarder to allow the escape ot theftui'nes or gases, even though retarded in their upward travel. In this inanner the quantity ot hot aii connningliiig with thegases vis reduced to the inininuun and the upper end ot' the dratt and tunic pipe re mains comparatively cool so that it can he easily handled. It desired, the upper end ci the dratt or tuine pipe niay he connected to an escape pipe leading out `ot the building` in which the hover niay be located The arrangement described iliroi-rides primarily tor the circulation oit heatedy air tree, or substantially `tree, troni gases' and turnos through the hover casing, so as to keep the chicks therein in a warm and thriving condition, particularly in view ot'the tact that as this heated air spreads and travels downwardly, it is broi'ight into intininte contact and commingles with the inrushing Ylire/sli air passing underneath the curtain` and `in connningled condition passes into the heater casing to provide the burner with the proper quantity ot' Fresh air to c: proper combustion. The circulation ot heated air furnishes moreheat'thancan he provided for radiation, withtlie result that less ituel is consumed to obtain the saine results and more perfect combustion is as sui-ed.

`Having thus described niy invention, what l claim is l. In a hover, the combination ot a .fientral heater casing having anopening` in its top wall, a hover casing supported by said y heater casing and having a central tlat portion and a canopy portion carried by said fiat portion and being directed outwardly and downwardly therefrom, said canopy portion having a flexible curtain secured to its edge with the loweredge ot' said curtain spaced troni the tioor, a pipe extending centi'ally through the hover casing, and a druin supported by said hover casing and exteinling into said heater casing and having openings in its sides at a point above the lower end ot said pipe, the lower end oit' said pipe being spaced troni the bottoni oli said drum.

2. In a hover, the combination ot a heater casing having an opening axially in its top wall and being provided 'with openii'igs in its side, a burner within said heater casing;

a hover casing spaced from said heater cass ing upwardly` ing and sn p portedthereby, said hover casing' Vheater casing and said hover casing and hav`- ing openings in its side near its upper end, anda` pipe secured tol said drum and having its lor-.fer portion extending thereinto with the lower end thereo't' spaced 'troni the bottoni ot said drum.

ln a hover, the combination of aheater casing having a top wall formed in two an.` nular parts fitting one within the other, the inner annular paitbeing removable -troni the outer part to` increase the'siaey ot" the opening in said top wall.` burner within said heater using removable throughV said top wall when 'removing said inner annular part thcretroni,and ahover casing supported by and spaced trom said heater easing and having a top formed in two annular parts titting one within the other, the inner annular part l'ieingereniovable 'trom the outer part to increase the sine o'l the opening in said wall, the whole pern'iittiiig` the withdrawal et the burner trom the hover without otherwise disturbing removing other parts oi the hover or heater casiiigs.

et. In a hover, the'coinbination ot a heater casing having an axialopening in its top wall and openings in its side, a hover cz ing havinga lat contral portion provided with an axial opening and being rigidly supported and spaced .troni the top wall ot said heateicasing and a canopy extending downwardly and outwardly 'troni said een trai tlat portion and receiving support `troni the marginal portion ot the latter, a drum supported by said `[iat central portion and extending through the axial opening ofthe saine and through the axial opening in the top et said heater casing, said druinbeing spaced 'from the walls of said axial openings and having openings in its sides nearzits upper end7 a draft pipe having its lower vportion fitted into said drum andspaced trein the walls ol the latter at'the sides and bottoni, and a burner in said heater casing. i

In a hover, a canopy having a. plurality ot pairs of Veshaped notches at intervals around its marginal portion, the inwardly diverging walls of each pair of notches being continued inwardly in the 'torni of incisions to provide outwardly pointed V-shaped prongs, said prongs being adapted to be bent upwardly and inwardly into hook shape, and a curtain `connected to said hook shaped prongs. i*

6. In a hover, the combination of a heater casing having openings in its sidev and a top formed with two annular parts, the

inner annular part having an opening ofy given size and being removable from the outer part to increase the size thereof, a burner of larger diameter than the opening in said inner part but of smaller diameter than the opening in said outer part and being removable through the top oi said heater casing when removing said inner part, and a hover easing supported by the heater casing and spaced therefrom.

7. In a hover, the combination. oi a heater casing having openings in its side and having a top Wall formed of tivo annular parte fitting one Within the other, the outer annular part being rigidly secured to the side of said heater easing and the inner annular part beingremovable `from the outer annular part and having its central opening ot a given size, a hover easing having a flat central portion and a canopy extending down ivardly and outwardly from said central portion and being supported by the marginal portion of the latter, said fiat central portion having two annular parts arranged one Within the other, the outer annular part being rigidly supported by the outer annular part oi' said heater easing and the inner annular part being removable from said outer annular part and having a central opening of a given size, a burner in said heater easing of larger diameter than the central openings in the inner annular parts of said flat central portion and the top of said heater easing, a drum supported by said dat central portion and extending through the opening thereo'll and through the opening in the top of said heater easing, said drum being spaced from the Wall of the central opening in the top oli said heater casing and having openings in its side near its upper end, a draft pipe extending into said drum and being spaced from the side Wall thereof, said pipe also having the lower end thereof spaced from the bottom of said drum, said drum being removable with or Without the inner annular part of said Hat central portion and said burner being removable through the top ot said heater easing and said hat central portion after removing the inner annular parts 'therefrom.

8. The combination of a heater easing and a hover casing, each having a central opening` in its top Wall, a burner Within said heater easing larger than the opening in the latter and the opening in said hover casing, said heater and hover casings having means permitting the enlarging of said openings to allow the Withdrawal of the burner through the top Wall thereof.

9. in a hover, the Combination or a heater casing having a top Wall with a central opening, a removable portion fitting into said central opening and itself provided with a central opening, a hover casing spaced from said heater casing and having a central opening and a removable portion Vfitting into said central opening and itself provided With a central opening, a burner in said heater casing of larger diameter than the openings in said removable portions7 a draft pipe extending through said last-mentioned openings and supported by the removable portion of said hover casing, said removable portions being adapted when removed to permit the Withdrawal of the burner from said heater casing and through the wall of said hover casing.

n testimony whereof affix my signature.

ARLINGTON L. BALL. 

